At quarter to twelve, Colonel Dixon, his daughter, and Mr. Bartosh entered the Colonel's bungalow, but the Colonel was not with them.
Colonel Dixon was a slender middle-aged man with blue but cloudy eyes. The lower part of his mustache had turned brown from excessive smoking. His daughter was young and quite beautiful; dimples appeared on her cheeks when she smiled.
Bartosh was a well-built man, and calling him merely "a figure of good build" would not have been inappropriate. He had a very artistic-looking beard, and his complexion was pale. However, his eyes were lively; without such lively eyes, his pale face might have made him appear, at first glance, like a liver disease patient.
"Hello, baby!" Colonel Dixon said, patting Sophia's shoulder. "You alright? I thought you people would definitely come to the station."
Before Sophia could say anything, Dixon's daughter hugged her. Then the introductions began. When it was Imran's turn, Sophia hesitated a little.
Imran stepped forward and spoke himself, "I am Colonel Zargham's secretary, Anadan...er...Mr. Nadan!" Then he laughed awkwardly. Colonel Dixon shrugged nonchalantly and looked away.
"Where is Zarghi?" Colonel Dixon asked, looking around.
"Isn't he with you?" Sophia exclaimed in surprise.
"With me?" Colonel Dixon replied in astonishment. "No, he's not!"
"Oh no...oh no."
"Didn't you meet him at the station?" Sophia's face turned pale with worry.
Sophia glanced at Imran, and he winked with his left eye, but this did not alleviate her anxiety. She soon found an opportunity to meet him in private.
"Where did Daddy go?"
"I don't know!"
"And you're sitting here calmly?"
"Yes---huh?"
"For God's sake, be serious!"
"Don't worry! I am responsible for the Colonel."
"I'm going to search for him."
"Absolutely not! You cannot step outside the bungalow."
"Why not?"
"The Colonel's orders."
"You are a strange man!" Sophia said, exasperated.
"The guests must not know about the current situation... Make sure to tell those two as well."
"They are not aware," Sophia said.
"They know at least that the Colonel is in some danger."
"Yes."
"That shouldn't be mentioned either!"
"Oh my God, what should I do?" Sophia said, almost in tears.
"Serve the guests." Imran said in a calm tone.
"God! I'm going to lose my mind!"
"There's no need to worry! The Colonel is not in any danger at all."
"You're crazy." Sophia said, irritated.
Imran nodded as if he were acknowledging his own madness.
*****************
Evening had fallen, but Colonel Zargham had not returned. Sophia was at a loss for what to do. Dixon repeatedly inquired about Zargham. Once, he even remarked that perhaps Zarghi had started to feel uneasy around his friends. If that were the case, why hadn't he simply written so?
In her confusion, Sophia forgot the instructions Imran had given her, one of which was that Anwar and Arif should not discuss the current situation with the guests. She forgot to remind Anwar and Arif of this…
And when Arif made a blunder, Sophia wasn't present. She was in the kitchen, helping the cooks, while Imran was making conversation. Dixon and the others were in the veranda. Anwar was talking to Bartosh about Raphael's paintings. Arif was showing his album to Dixon's daughter, Martha, while Dixon was gazing at the colorful twilight hues on the distant mountain peaks. Suddenly, he turned to Arif and said, "I didn't expect this from Zarghi!"
Arif was in high spirits at that moment. For some reason, he felt a strong sense of closeness with these people. Perhaps it was because of the lively and beautiful Martha.
"Colonel, it's a deep secret." Arif said, closing the album.
"Secret?" Colonel Dixon muttered, staring at him.
"Yes, Colonel has been extremely worried for the last fifteen to twenty days. During this period, we've stayed up all night. He was afraid of someone. He used to say that he could meet with an accident at any time… and for some reason, he wanted to keep it a secret."
"That's very strange! And you're all sitting here so calmly?" Colonel Dixon said, jumping to his feet.
Bartosh and Anwar started staring at him. Anwar had probably overheard their conversation and was glaring at Arif with eyes that could kill. Although he hadn't been specifically told to keep it a secret from the guests, he at least understood that Colonel Zargham himself wanted it kept under wraps.
"Where's Sophia?" Colonel Dixon asked Arif.
"Probably in the kitchen!"
Colonel Dixon headed for the kitchen, while the others remained seated.
Sophia was frying something in a pan, and Imran stood quietly nearby.
"Sophie!" Colonel Dixon called. "What's going on?"
"Oh, it's you!" Sophia was startled. "It's really hot here. I'll be right out."
"Never mind that! Tell me, what's the matter with Zarghi?"
Imran rolled his eyes like an owl.
"I am worried myself about where Daddy could have gone," Sophia said.
"Don't lie. Arif just told me everything."
"Oh... that," Sophia swallowed hard, then looked at Imran.
"The thing is, Colonel, all those stories are quite absurd." Imran said.
"Even when Zargham has disappeared like this?" the Colonel questioned.
"He often does this, vanishing for days on end. It's nothing unusual." Imran replied.
"I'm not convinced."
"Ah... Confucius once said the same." Imran remarked.
The Colonel glared at him angrily and then turned to Sophia. "Come quickly. I'll be waiting for you in the veranda."
Dixon left.
"What a mess!" Sophia muttered. "What should I do?"
"This mess is of your own making. Why didn't you warn Arif?" Imran asked.
"I forgot amidst all the confusion."
"I had assured you. So what confusion? I even told you that I had sent the Colonel to a safe place."
"But wasn't it enough of a worry about what to tell the guests!"
"Would the guests die without knowing? I really dislike your cousins, understand!"
"What can I do now! Arif is a complete fool!"
"Well..." Imran began thinking. Then he said, "Hurry up. I don't want anything about me mentioned to the guests now."
They both went to the veranda. By now, Anwar had given Arif a good scolding in Urdu, and he was sitting quietly.
"Tell me everything!" the Colonel demanded of Sophia.
"No one knows the full details except the Colonel himself." Imran replied.
"What was he afraid of?" Dixon asked.